Following the
destruction of the eye sore Embarcadero
Freeway, remodeling of the
Ferry Plaza
was completed in 2000. Prior to construction of the Golden Gate Bridge
in 1937, the Ferry Building was the singular symbol of San Francisco. With
its busy piers and endless streams of streetcars, taxis, pedestrians, jitneys,
trailers, lumber carriers and trucks, this was once known as the heart
of the noisiest main street in America. At its peak before train service
across the Bay Bridge, more than 50 million ferry passengers came through
the plaza each year. By comparison, Oakland, San Francisco, and San Jose's
airports collectively served 53 million passengers in 1998. Today's Ferry
Plaza includes loads of open space, palm trees, the vintage
F
Line streetcars, and two art deco lamps that blast spires of
light into the night sky. Within a year of opening to the public the new,
$50
million Ferry Plaza became a popular site for homeless campers and
squatters attracted to its waterfront views and safe location near the
financial district. Earthquake retrofitting and renovation of the
Ferry Building itself came next and was completed in 2003. The famous clock tower was patterned after
the Giralda Tower of Spain's Cathedral of Seville.